The present invention relates to an improved and safer sling for a patient lifter. In particular, the sling of the present invention allows a patient to be lifted from any of several support heights while allowing the patient in the sling to attain a proper and safe position.
Slings in the prior art have the disadvantage of positioning the patient in only a single position. In addition, when prior art slings are used with known patient lifters they have the disadvantage that when they are used to lift a patient from a bed or other support having a substantial height, the patient lifter is not capable of lifting the patient due to the travel height of the patient lifter and the length of the straps on the sling. As a result, assistants using some prior art slings with known patient lifters have been known to wrap or tie the lifting straps in knots to shorten the length of the straps so that the patient can be lifted. Wrapping or knotting the straps, however, causes them to wear out and limits the movement of the straps and thus the sling on the patient lifter.
The present invention solves these problems by providing a plurality of lifting straps so that the sling can be safely used to lift a patient from a variety of height support surfaces.